


aishite!

by mitikune



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Attempted Murder, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Dark, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Knives, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Obsession, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Serious Injuries, Stabbing, Violence, Yandere, inspired loosely by "aishite aishite aishite" by kikuo, possibly smut? but we'll get to that when we get to it, there WILL be fluff in here too but like, this fic is DARK guys, this fic is DARK guys. can't stress it enough, this isn't a fluff fic so honestly i'd feel bad to use those tags, very little. and very few and far between
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 16:40:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30108927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitikune/pseuds/mitikune
Summary: For as long as he could remember, they'd been a trio. The Dream Team. Dream, Sapnap, and George. But things change all too quickly. When Dream represses his feelings for George a little too long and flies off the handle, the very words "our best friend" put him in great unease. At first, he's scared that he'll do terrible things.And then he stops caring about the consequences. George is his.And no one is taking that away from him.--loosely inspired by "aishite, aishite, aishite!" - kikuo
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 46





	1. beginning of the end

**Author's Note:**

> alright guys. you're in for a LONG ride here. buckle up, take some deep breaths, and make sure you read this series in your right mind. :] the first chapter has no warnings! nothing bad happens in this chapter, it purely just talks about their prior relationships and future plans!! just the intro guys. lets go!

For as long as he could remember, it had always been the three of them. Dream, Sapnap, and George. The Dream Team. The perfect trio. Inseparable. You couldn’t have one without the other. Dream was content this way, he was happy with the way things were. That’s why it felt so weird to be away from George like this.

Granted, he’d always been away from George like this. He’d never met George before, never been close enough to truly touch or gaze upon him. Dream and Sapnap, on the other hand, were a different story. They’d been friends for almost half of the latter’s life, yet never met up either, until recently. They shared a house together with Patches and occasional visits from Drista and Dream’s mom. Otherwise, they were beginning to get used to being face to face with each other every day.

He knew it hurt George, and Dream felt sorry for it. Due to personal reasons, George wasn’t able to join them right at the given time. There was too much going on in his life; to just pack up and leave the UK and move to another country wasn’t in the cards right now, no matter how badly they both wanted it. And Dream could respect that, of course; he had to. He thought back to their prior conversations.

_ “I’m sorry, Dream, it’s just not practical right now.” _

_ Dream sighed, gazing at the screen where George’s face was slightly tilted to the side. The red and blue hues washed over his pale skin, and Dream’s gaze was caught up on the shadows that his cheekbones cast against his jaw, the way his eyelashes seemed to be ten times longer than they were because when he blinked, the shadows moved with him. It was like George was magic.  _

_ He was beautiful. _

_ Dream let out a gentle sigh, and a smile. “Pretty privilege” certainly was one way to put it; he wouldn’t have said it any other way. George’s monitor reflected in his brown eyes, and Dream knew he was looking at his calendar. “I really wanted this to work,” the older boy repeated, a hint of a whine seeping into his tone. “I thought I could at least visit, but--” _

_ “It’s okay, George.” Dream’s voice was nonchalant and reassuring. “It really isn’t that big of a deal. Just because Sapnap’s here doesn’t mean we all have to rush to get together--I mean, it’d be great, I was really hoping, too, don’t get me wrong… but your life and family comes first, always. I’d never want or ask you to set them aside just for a visit that can always happen later. There’s no rush, George. You come to me when you’re ready. We’ll still be waiting here for you.” _

_ The brunet smiled, and Dream smiled back at the soft blue light that filled up his room. “Thanks, Dream.” _

_ “No need, seriously,” Dream chuckled, “basic human decency.” _

_ God, George looked beautiful when he smiled. George’s very aura held a certain charm, a certain romantic beauty that seemed to sweep Dream off his feet. He hadn’t noticed it at first--or maybe he had? The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he always had known his best friend was different. The way he could bat his eyelashes and send both men and women kneeling in his grace. Dream was no stranger to it, either; he was only human, after all. It was almost like George was some kind of love god. Dream wouldn’t have questioned it if someone told him George was Cupid himself, at this rate.  _

_ He didn’t let it get to him too much, though. George was his best friend, that was all; and there was nothing wrong with appreciating the male beauty, especially on a specimen as gorgeous as George. George’s head tilted slightly, exposing a sharp jawline and his Adam’s apple that bobbed as he swallowed. His arms reached above him to grip the back of his hair as he stretched, and Dream watched his skin pull flush against his shirt.  _

_ Gorgeous, without even trying. And what a good friend he was, too; aesthetic beauty was one thing, but George was the prettiest person he’d ever known from the inside out. George was the type of person to be late to the things that meant the most to him, just for someone else’s sake. Someone he cared about. Someone he loved. Dream hummed softly, remembering fondly the time that George had been late to join his stream because his mother had called. Nothing important; she had just missed him. So he’d spoken to her for a solid hour until her worried motherly cries had faded, and he’d been able to slip onto Dream’s stream for the latter half.  _

_ George was a beautiful soul. His physical appearance was just a testimony to prove it.  _

_ “Dream?” _

_ Dream’s eyelids fluttered as he brought his gaze to meet Dream’s eyes. The warmth in the brown depths seemed to pull him closer; grab him by the hips, tug him in, whisper promises against the shell of his ear. It was almost hypnotizing, and borderline unfair. “Sorry, I zoned out. Did you say something, George?” _

_ “Yeah, I asked what you were doing early next year.” _

_ Dream blinked a few times, letting the question register and let his brain wake up from its haze. “Early next year? 2021?” He flipped up his own calendar, watching George give him a patient smile. He couldn’t believe how delicate he was. To Dream, George felt like the finest of china vases. Hand-painted, preserved, tucked away where no harm could ever come to it. Dream wanted to protect George. He felt like it was his duty, as his friend. His best friend, for that matter. _

_ Best friend. It was a title he held proudly; it was a title George didn’t give out often. George was quite emotionally stunted, Dream had gathered that much from their late night conversations, which led to him having a difficult time making friends. Despite this, Dream and George had seemed to click immediately all those years back. Dream couldn’t quite pinpoint when exactly the line had crossed from acquaintances to friends, let alone friends to best friends, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. The title made him feel as though he sat atop a pedestal. _

_ Perhaps it was selfish to think that way. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so proud that George valued him above anyone else. But with a man that gorgeous, inside and out, to be so close to him was an honor. Which just made the fact he couldn’t come to meet the both of them in Florida much worse. He wasn’t sure how it was possible to miss someone you’d never even held in your arms, but Dream was experiencing it now. _

_ “I think I’m clear, dude, I dunno. It’s still a few months out,” Dream tried to explain. “I can’t be sure of what I’ll be doing. Things change so quickly, you know. But I think I should be okay for sometime around… what, like, April?” _

_ “April sounds good,” George smiled. “We’ll shoot for April. Okay, Dream?” _

_ “April it is,” Dream affirmed, watching the way George’s eyelids fluttered rapidly, and his smile seemed to double in size in a fraction of a second. He watched the excitement pass over George’s features, and it made him feel warm with pride inside. He’d made George happy. He’d been the one to make him smile. _

_ It had always been important to Dream to make people happy, especially his friends, and best friend. Knowing that he was the one to bring George joy brought him to cloud nine. It was even better knowing that the reason George was so excited was because he was coming to see him. He’d get to hug him, get to actually hang out with his best friend without the barriers of a screen or a camera. _

_ And he was so excited. _

That had been four months ago. It was January now, and as the date of their hopeful meetup grew closer, so too did Dream and George. Late night calls became more frequent, and Sapnap joined in on some of them, too. Some. Not all. Dream liked the ones where it was just him and George, where he could lay in his bed with his headphones in and listen to sleepy George talk. He’d noticed that George was the most open about his true thoughts and feelings late at night. The fact he trusted Dream in such a vulnerable state made him happy. He hoped George trusted him, too.

“You seem lost again.”

The voice grounded him back in reality, and his head tipped back to see Sapnap standing in his doorway. All at once, the pressure of the mattress came back underneath Dream, and he winced at the kink in his neck. How long had he been staring at the ceiling like this for, unmoving? Kind of weird of him to do, but he supposed it was warranted; he did have a lot on his mind.

“I was just thinking about April,” Dream explained with a smile. “Can you believe that George might actually be able to book a flight to come see us?”

“It’s crazy,” Sapnap agreed, a grin taking over his features. “He’s not staying, though, right? He’s coming for a visit, scoping out the place, seeing how he likes America…”

“Well, yeah, but he’s going to stay eventually,” Dream shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, most likely. He said he wanted to move in with us, why would he change his mind? His personal life in the UK is the only thing holding him back, it’s not like he doesn’t want to.”

“Yeah, I get it. Have you talked to him lately?” Sapnap’s eyebrows creased in concern, and Dream tilted his head, studying it. “Like, about his grandparents? Are they still… y’know?”

“Yeah, as far as I know. I talked to him last night, and he said they were doing okay then, so… as far as he knows. He only knows what his parents tell him, and they only know what Hospice tells  _ them _ , so… it’s a sick game of telephone,” Dream sighed softly.

George’s grandparents. People Dream had never met, and, by the looks of things, probably will never get to meet. They were sick. Really sick. His grandma had stage four lung cancer, a nasty thing; George would get misty-eyed describing the way she’d hack and choke as if the smoke was still scalding her throat.  _ She smoked one too many, _ George had told him.  _ Everyone told her to quit, she never would. Said she knew what was best for her; she never listened to any of us. Boar-headed. I don’t think my mom’s too sad she’s going, you know? I think it’s hitting me more than it’s hitting her. _

Dream had frowned, had sympathized, knowing how it felt to see someone tear themselves apart smoking. He’d tried it himself a few times; never understood the appeal, let alone why some people would drive themselves to the brink of collapse for it. The high wasn’t even that good. Dream got better from alcohol. 

“That sucks,” Sapnap sighed, and Dream had nodded his head again. “I think he told me that he wanted to set up a game tonight?” Sapnap fumbled for his phone in his pocket, and Dream sat up, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand to bring them to focus. 

“What kind of game? Like, stream game?” Dream groaned, “I don’t wanna stream today. I’m tired.”

“I don’t think stream game. I think the three of us game,” Sapnap smiled. “Maybe practice for a Manhunt or something, I don’t know. I’m trying to find the messages…” Sapnap scrolled up and up, and Dream swung his legs over the side of the bed. Finally, Sapnap read out: 

_ “Hey Sap, was wondering if you and Dream would be up for a few hours of Skywars today. Maybe I can learn some new PVP moves for the next Manhunt ;)” _

“He put the winking emoji?” Dream laughed when Sapnap nodded, “goof.”

“Speaking of…” A predatory smirk came over Sapnap’s face, and Dream felt himself grinning nervously back. “I’ve been meaning to ask. You been making one too many DNF jokes or something? You get all… foggy, when you talk about him, or when he gets brought up. I can’t describe it. You literally get lovestruck.”

Dream’s face twisted in shock, and he felt his cheeks turn a gentle red. “What? No-- we never--  _ I’d _ never-- I’m not even--”

Sapnap let out a laugh, an arm loosely wrapping around his midsection. “Dreamie, come on now. I’m not dumb. I can see how starstruck you are for that man. Everyone with eyes can, I think. Even Twitter’s been picking up on it.”

“Twitter?” Dream scoffed, “if  _ Twitter _ is your main evidence, you need to re-evaluate your whole argument, here. Twitter picks up on everything, Sap. I can’t breathe without them thinking that it’s something to do with George.”

“Well, are they wrong?”

Dream’s silence made Sapnap laugh again. 

“It’s okay, man,” Sapnap tried to soothe, “seriously. I don’t care if you’re gay, doesn’t affect me, or anything. If you have the hots for our best friend--”

“I don’t!” Dream cried defensively, “there’s no way I’m in love with George. He’s my best friend, that’d just be awkward and make things ten times more complicated than they had to be.”

“Okay, okay,” Sapnap raised his hands in defense, “but seriously, if you’re going to play the denial card, at least try to clean up your act a little bit. Tell me, Dream, how many tissues do you waste?”

Dream’s entire face went a vibrant red, before Sapnap spoke again; “to wipe the drool off your keyboard whenever you call, and he turns his video on. I see you practically salivating over that boy. I don’t blame you, he isn’t bad looking, but come on, think of the environment!”

Dream let out a nervous laugh. Of course that’s what Sapnap meant, definitely not… what he’d been thinking. “The trees owe me, too,” Dream tried to counter with a lopsy grin, “they breathe when I exhale. It’s perfect symbiosis. I think I can use their bark every now and again.”

“Okay, man,” Sapnap chuckled. “You up for Skywars later? Let me write him back.”

“Yeah, tell him I’d love to,” Dream said, face still red as he idly played with the hem of his sleeve. “Tell him I’ll be in call waiting for whenever he’s ready.”

“He said not for a few hours yet,” Sapnap clarified as the sounds of typing filled Dream’s small room.

“Well, the offer still stands if he wants to come talk about anything before our matches,” Dream shrugged with a smile, “I’m always down to talk to him.”

“And you’re not in love?”

“Shut up, I’m not!” Dream groaned, giving up and burying his face into his hands as Sapnap laughed, the sound echoing off the halls as he stalked back into the kitchen. 

God, what a prick.

Dream swiveled towards his computer, hitting the startup button with his toe as he leaned back against his gaming chair. He idly pivoted side to side as much as he could, until his knee hit the side of the desk, and he’d go the other way until his other knee hit the other side of the desk, and so on. It was a little nervous habit of his, he could often be found doing it before streams.

But why was he nervous?

He’d never been nervous to speak to George before. He quickly typed in the passcode to his computer, letting Discord boot up as he sighed. George probably wasn’t even going to be in the call, they had hours still before they were planning on playing. He was probably going to go eat something first, or maybe take a shower or… just do things in his leisure, relax. Dream hoped he relaxed.

Dream hoped he relaxed with him, on call. It’d be nice to just talk to him alone before they started playing. 

The fact that once Discord loaded, he saw George sitting in a call alone, waiting for him, made his heart skip a beat. Anxiety? Or something more?

He clicked into the call, clearing his throat before speaking. “George, hey.” The other was muted, but quickly unmuted when he joined the call. 

“Hi, Dream!” George said cheerily, and Dream nearly forgot how to breathe when he turned on his video. The window was open today; Dream could almost feel the warm rays of light that caressed his face and lit him up. One of his eyes was in the sun, and Dream nearly got lost in the melted chocolate honeyed hue before George squinted, putting an arm up. “I should shut the blinds.”

“It makes you look pretty,” Dream said with a smile, “like an angel.” 

Dream could almost see the halo. George felt so innocent to him, so pure, and breakable. He knew that wasn’t the case; he knew George could hold his own pretty well. He knew he didn’t need Dream to hover over him like some kind of god, trying to protect him, but… it felt right. It felt like a duty. It made Dream feel purposeful, like he was being proactive in someone else’s well being. Especially George’s. It made him feel good, and George never complained, so it worked out as far as he could tell.

“You think so? Well,” George laughed, “I guess maybe I’m okay with hurting my eye if it makes you think I’m pretty.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Dream let out a nervous laugh, his heart beginning to hammer. “I can’t believe you. Shame on you, George.”

They do it all the time. 

It means nothing.

“Do you want it to mean something?”

Dream’s head snapped up from where it had been gazing down at the ground. Shit, had he said that aloud? “Uh, what?”

“N-nothing,” George stammered out with a little laugh. “I was just making a dumb joke, um… how are you, Dream?”

“I’m fine… do you wanna just play survival or something, the two of us, and wait for Sapnap?” Dream asked.

“That sounds good to me,” George said, and Dream heard a few clicks, signifying that he was loading up Minecraft. Dream did the same, putting a hand over his mouth and leaning against it as he thought about what just happened. Dream wasn’t one to accidentally say things aloud, he completely let his guard down. George was prying down his walls, trying to peer inside. Dream felt vulnerable and exposed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the way George made him feel, but he couldn’t let it be known. Someone so perfect would never love Dream back.

Things had to stay this way. He had a feeling something would go wrong if he tried to tell George his true feelings. He sighed into his hand, thinking back to his conversation with Sapnap. He’d known him far too well. Sapnap always knew what Dream was hiding, sometimes before even he did. 

“Dream?”

Dream’s head lifted back to the monitor, met with George’s face again. The way his eyebrows knit in concern, and his head was slightly tilted, like a puppy. His lips were parted, and moving--he was speaking, and Dream wasn’t listening.

“I’m sorry,” Dream interrupted, “I zoned out. Can you repeat yourself?”

“I said, are you ready to start the game?” George repeated patiently, that concerned look never fading.

“Right. Yeah. Let me just boot up a server…” Dream murmured, just getting one of the cheaper servers. He knew it’d probably just be a throwaway anyway. They probably wouldn’t come back to it. Everything went smoothly, and he was forced to name it. “Uh,” he giggled, “what do I name it?”

“Hmm,” Dream hummed idly, then laughed. “DNF?”

“DNF,” Dream repeated with a snort, “you’re really pandering to Twitter today, aren’t you?”

“Twitter can’t hear us, Dream,” George grinned. “Maybe I’m pandering to  _ you.” _

Dream’s breath caught. George can’t just say things like that, it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair. Dream felt like he was being torn apart, trying so hard to ignore these feelings that wouldn’t stop rising in his chest. “So, April,” Dream changed the subject, finally loading into the game. He looked around for George’s avatar, smiling with it loaded in beside his own. “Is that still a plan?”

“As far as I’m concerned, as of now, yeah. The way it’s looking, uh… my grandparents probably won’t make it that long, y’know? So… at the very least, I guess, that’s one less thing that we’ll have standing in the way,” George murmured, quiet enough towards the end that Dream strained to hear him. He frowned.

“I’m sorry, George,” Dream said, beginning to punch a tree to collect wood. He sighed through his nose in agitation when he had to break the same block about ten times to get it to load. Maybe he shouldn’t have just used a cheap server--they’re not that expensive, and George deserved the best, always. He scolded himself. Be better, Dream. George deserves better. “Do you need anything? We don’t have to shoot for April, if you’re still… grieving.”

“Dream, that’s the thing, I’m…” George paused, as if considering his words carefully, “not exactly grieving. I don’t think so, anyway. My grandma… she wasn’t a kind person. She had to smoke just to be tolerable, and if she was without her cigs, god forbid…” Dream watched George bite his lower lip, as if remembering a troubling memory. “I’m not going to miss her that much when she goes. I mean, I will, cause she’s my grandma, but… even my mom probably won’t be too distraught. So, it’s nothing you have to worry about. Really.”

Dream listened, giving small nods. “I get that. Still, the whole situation sucks in general. You deserve better,” he spoke the thought that had been bouncing around his brain for several minutes now. “You deserve only the best, always, George.”

Dream watched him smile again, and the pride was overwhelming. It sent warmth through his veins and made his chest puff out in confidence. Leave it to him to make George happy. He could always make him happy. Always.

“Thanks, Dream,” George laughed shyly. “You, too.”

Dream smiled wider. He chopped down another tree now, checking his inventory for the number of logs, before heading into a small mine to start getting stone, coal, and iron; basic early game materials, meanwhile George continued collecting wood to start building the house. 

Something in the back of his mind, something faint, reminded him that this was almost what a domestic life would be like, if he and George were together. April flashed through his mind again, and he smiled. 

Domestic bliss. Can you imagine a life such as that, with someone that you love? The thought made him melt in his chair, smiling as he continued to mine. 

He realized, in this moment, that he wouldn’t mind if it was just he and George for the rest of time. Just like this. 

It was perfect.


	2. he crafted the sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! :] thanks for checking back in for another chapter! no warnings in this one either; there's a bit of minecraft-themed violence while dream daydreams, but that's about it! no further warnings :] enjoy!

Minecraft was peaceful, and Dream felt more and more relaxed the longer he played--and they did play for a  _ while. _ He was down in the mines for the majority of the first day, finding more iron and coal. He felt himself smile when realized that he had enough iron to make the both of them full armor, and shields to spare. A bit more, and they’d have full iron tools already too. One step closer to being sure that George had a better chance of survival in this world.

Every once in a while, he’d spare a glance over at George’s video, and couldn’t suppress a smile. A certain look came over George’s features when he was really focused, including but not limited to the way the tip of his tongue peeked through pink lips. Dream grinned at the childish mannerism, admiring the way the sun from his opened blinds fell against his pale face again. He really did look angelic; or at the very least, ethereal and unreal. Too good, too pure for this world that would ruin him. His hair was a soft cocoa brown, and his eyes looked so bright, that if Dream closed his own eyes, he could feel the warmth seeping into his bones. It was wonderful. George was wonderful.

He wondered what George was doing, but decided not to disrupt the silence to ask. If George knew Dream was mining, the most logical things that George could be doing were collecting food, or building a house. Dream hoped it was the latter. His favorite place on the entire SMP was the mushroom cottage-core like house George had built. It was such a true nod to his personality to build such a peaceful-looking place while a war raged around him. 

At least he’d been kept safe and out of conflict. That much, at least, made him feel better about the whole thing. Though, even if George did get involved, Dream knew that he’d be on his side. Who else would he choose? No one can keep George safe the way Dream could, and the fact that he was currently mining another vein of iron proved it even further. He was the only one that could adapt, protect and provide for George in the way that he needed. Given the way that George was able to build that cottage in the first place was because he was on Dream’s side as a powerful ally, he felt this statement was truly non-negotiable. George could hold his own, and if he couldn’t, the opposers knew that Dream wouldn’t hesitate. So, as a result, George got to live a peaceful life in the house he’d built for himself, far away from potential conflict.

Dream wondered what a life would be like if they really lived there, together, in Minecraft, in that little mushroom cabin. There’d be threats, constant danger, fear of attack, but Dream would always swoop in and save the day. It’d be them against the world, and George would think of him as a hero, as his savior, and would cry out to him in times of crisis so Dream could save the day again. Being able to respawn helped, too; Dream fantasized about the romantic aspects of throwing himself into a creeper explosion while shoving George out of harm’s way so he took the blow. Then, while George mourned, thinking he’d lost him for good this time, Dream would casually stroll out of the house with a grin, collect his items, and kiss George passionately on the lips to soothe his cries.

His face went red. What was that last part? Was this really bothering him this much, these supposed joking feelings? They meant nothing. It meant nothing. George was his best friend; aside from that, he meant nothing more to Dream. He had no desire to kiss him, or to do the “romantic aspect” of any of those actions. George’s life meant no more than Dream’s did. It wasn’t worth trading lives for something as menial as a video game, even if respawning was an option.

He laughed at himself quietly as he came to his senses. His brain was quite odd today, wasn’t it? He blamed Sapnap for planting the thoughts in his head. He realized how long it had been since Dream had heard his voice, so he spoke up. “Do you ever think about what it’d be like to live in Minecraft?”

“Like, as if we were Steve?” George clarified. 

Dream nodded, gazing over at George’s face on his screen, but then realized he couldn’t see him. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, I think about it a lot actually. I think it’d be fun to live in a world like that, where you’re able to build anything you want, where money isn’t an issue really, especially if it was just with a few people you really cared for. You could work in harmony, protect each other, working towards the common goal of getting better, and better, until you couldn't get any better and you took down a whole dragon…” George let out a little laugh, and it made Dream’s heart flutter, “yeah, that sounds amazing. I wish there was some way.”

“Me, too,” Dream smiled. “If you could bring anyone with you, who’d you bring?”

Say me.

_ Say me. _

“You guys, of course,” George replied without hesitation. “Who else? You’re cracked at the game, and you’re my best friends. My family, even. There’s no one I’d rather have by my side through anything but you and Sapnap.”

Dream’s expression softened, before he hummed. “That makes sense. We really care for you, George. We’d never let anything bad happen to you.  _ I’d _ never let anything bad happen to you.”

“My hero,” George feigned a grateful and starstruck tone, and even though sarcasm dripped from his voice, it made Dream’s chest puff proudly out.

Was this what it would be like, to protect George, forever? It was almost like George could hear his thoughts, but he didn’t care. Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. The way George would say his name, as if Dream had crafted the sun himself and made it rise above the horizon to bring peace and safety back into the world. He wanted it. He wanted it more than anything. If only it were possible.

He hadn’t realized the minutes of silence that stretched between them again, before George spoke up again: “Dream? I built a house, where’d you go?” George asked, and Dream heard frantic clicking.

It made him sit up straighter. “Huh?” He asked, glancing back over at his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just night time now, and there’s a shitton of mobs,” George sighed, and the clicking increased as well as taps to his keyboard, hard enough to be audible. “I could use your help, if you’re around.”

“I’m in a deep cave,” Dream said, though his character spun around. When it did, diamonds caught his eye. “Diamonds!” He grinned, moving over with his pickaxe selected and beginning to mine. He only got two, before he heard George inhale sharply, and from above him, Dream heard an explosion.

“Not the house!” George groaned, “goddammit!”

A creeper dare blow up what George had been working hard on? He hardened his gaze, beginning to make his character collect the diamonds that he had already broken before high-tailing it up the cave again. He used all the speedrunning tactics he could think of to be sure he climbed, parkoured, and got the hell out of that cave as quickly as possible. It only took him two minutes to reach George, axe drawn, and beginning to lunge for his avatar.

“Behind you!” Dream cried out, and George whipped around. If it wasn’t for Dream, George would’ve taken the hit, but he didn’t. Dream’s feet left the ground and he raised the axe, having it come down hard against the zombie. The particle effects that emitted told Dream that he’d landed a critical, and he grinned wider. One more critical and the zombie poofed out of existence, leaving only rotten flesh in its wake.

Dream could smell the stench, and he kicked it away, before swiveling around and smacking a creeper with his axe away from George and the house. He jumped backwards, watching the hideous think blink white three times and swell, before calming back down. It began to stalk towards him again, and Dream only laughed, lunging forward and landing another critical, as if he was made for fighting. The creeper threatened to blow again, but Dream ran before it could. One more critical, and the creature was down again, and Dream watched the gunpowder drift away in the breeze. 

He spun around to look at George, who was walking backwards as he hit a baby zombie with a wooden sword--Dream hadn’t given him the iron gear yet, because he hadn’t smelted the stack and a half of iron he’d collected--and Dream ran over, hitting the tiny thing with an axe a few times until it, too, poofed away, leaving nothing but softly glowing green and yellow orbs that jingled as he absorbed them. 

He turned to look at George, “get inside!”

The older boy spun to rush into the house he’d made, right as he made unfortunate eye contact with an enderman. A strangled yelp tore from his throat as he entered the house, standing in the two-block doorway, where he was safe from the taller things attack. Dream felt his heel dig into the dirt as he tore forward, slashing at the thing once, twice, three times, before it teleported away finally, realizing its attacker wasn’t George, but Dream. It appeared behind him, Dream heard the puff of particles, and he jumped forward before whipping around and slicing at it. It disappeared again.

Dream was on a constant swivel, looking around as he gripped the handle of his axe tightly between his fingers. “Come on, show yourself,” he hissed, before the thing appeared directly in front of him. He took the hit, but he felt no pain as he mechanically slashed forward again. It wasn’t a critical, but it was a decent hit. The thing poofed behind him, and with one more final blow, a pearl rested at his feet. 

Dream smiled, reaching down and taking the battle prize in his hands as he observed it. It was pretty, he’d never gotten to inspect one like this before. It felt so much better, knowing that he’d won the prize protecting George. Speaking of, eyeing his health, he darted into the house and shut the door behind him.

“Look, George! I got a pearl!” Dream cried triumphantly, holding the fragile thing in his hands, not wanting to use its power accidentally. “Aren’t you proud of me? Didn’t I save your life? I’m your hero, right? Right?--Here, take it!” He shoved the pearl into George’s hands, beaming brightly, his grin the size of the cosmos themselves, he swore. “Doesn’t it feel good to have someone who’d go through such lengths to protect you?”

“Oh, you got a pearl! Nice, dude!”

The voice sent Dream hurling back to his body, blinking as he took in his surroundings. He was sitting in his chair. His fingers were on the keyboard. A dull ache originated from his wrists from how hard he’d been mashing buttons and clicking the mouse. None of that was real. He’d gotten caught up in his mind, thinking it actually meant something. Thinking he could actually protect George.

Thank god, it appeared, he hadn’t said anything aloud.

“Yeah, I did,” Dream swallowed, glancing over at George’s face. He was smiling. 

“That was epic, Dream! You were a total maniac!” George grinned, “I’ve never seen you fight like that in my life! Why don’t you do that during your speedruns? Getting all those blazes like a machine! Whoosh, whoosh!” George imitated Dream’s swinging of the axe motion, and it made Dream feel a little less silly for getting so wrapped up in his head.

“I’m just too good,” Dream grinned, leaning against his chair, “the internet couldn’t handle to see me like that. They’d start simping.”

“Please, they already simp for you,” George laughed, and Dream smiled. “Everyone does, dude.”

“Even you?”

The words left Dream’s mouth before he could think about them. His heart seized in his chest, and his gaze flitted up to meet George’s across the screen. “Even me,” George affirmed softly.

Dream’s breath caught, and he tore his eyes away. Fuck, it was messing with his head. Damn Sapnap for implanting the thought in his brain. He couldn’t stay silent, or George would get skittish and think Dream didn’t like it. That wasn’t the case. Dream did like it, more than he cared to admit. “I bet Twitter would go crazy over that if they heard it. You should say it, when we stream next, or let me tell the story, then post the clip somewhere as a ‘Canon DNF Moment’. You know how much money we’d make? The people go crazy for that shit,” Dream teased with a laugh, and George laughed, too. 

George thought Dream was funny. It made him happy.

“What time is it?” George asked, and Dream watched him stretch with a small yawn, “I might take a nap or something before Skywars. I’m tired, and I wanna actually play well when we play.”

“We’ve still got like, two hours until Skywars,” Dream reassured. “You should sleep. You deserve the rest, man. Really.”

George smiled. “I will, I will. You’re gonna be on my team, right, Dream? You’re insane on the PVP aspect. We could win every match that gets thrown at us.”

“Of course I’ll be on your team, George. Who else?” Dream asked, and his voice held all the warmth and safety of the sun. “You always have me.”

“Cool,” George looked directly into the camera, and it gave the illusion that he was looking right at Dream. It made his heart skip a beat, and he swallowed. “I’ll see you then, Dream.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Dream smiled. George smiled wider, and he waved at the camera. Even though George couldn’t see it, Dream waved back. George left the call, his face vanishing with it, and Dream’s smile was quick to follow.

It’d been less than ten seconds, and he already missed George. 

He glanced back at his monitor with a small frown. He knew he’d said he wanted it to just be a throwaway world, but… he’d gotten attached. George had placed his mark here. George had built structures, spent time here, with him. He didn’t wanna throw that away. In fact, he wanted to make it better! He wanted George to want to come back here, too. He regrets not asking him if they could play again soon.

He began smelting the iron, and for a moment he could almost feel the warmth of the fire rush over him before he tugged himself back out of that daydream. He didn’t need to be getting his hopes up for things that would never happen. He waited patiently for some iron to smelt, before making a bucket and collecting some water before heading back down into the mines.

He got the rest of the diamonds, a bit of gold while he was there, before heading back up again and beginning to make full iron armor, tools, and a shield for George. He set them in a special chest, making a sign and placing it on top of it.

_ “A gift.” _

The sign stared at him, and Dream smiled proudly. He’d done that. He’d collected everything for George. He’d be so happy the next time he logged back on. In the meantime, he logged off himself, turning off his monitor and standing. He stretched, cracking his back and feeling his muscles stretch back to life before he walked out of his room. 

Things didn’t feel right. He needed to tackle the strange feelings and thoughts he was having about George. He’d never thought he was gay before, this was definitely new to him. He sat down on the couch, turning something on the TV before staring at the carpet. He allowed himself to think; think about prior relationships, think about little things that made him happy that George did, tried to look for any clues of this in previous behavior. 

He wasn’t one to overthink, especially about things like this. He let out a quiet sigh, laying down himself and reaching up for a blanket. Regardless, everything happens for a reason; that was something Dream genuinely believed. All these feelings, or pseudo-feelings would work themselves out. It was all for a greater purpose that Dream didn’t see yet. Maybe they meant nothing at all, and Sapnap truly did just plant thoughts in his head that his brain had latched onto. 

Whatever was happening, Dream refused to let it affect the here and now. He wasn’t going to act any differently around George, wasn’t going to do anything he’d regret or didn’t mean. He needed to let all of this fizzle out, and if it didn’t, he’d deal with it then. That seemed the best option for everyone involved.

Content with his solution, Dream closed his eyes and stretched the blanket out over himself, letting his head rest against the arm of the couch as a pillow. He let the warmth envelop him with a gentle sigh. Everything was going to be okay. Dream was sure of it. 

...he wondered if George was thinking about him right now, too. If George was laying awake unable to sleep because he was thinking about Dream. He wondered if George was still thinking about his display of skill in battle, thinking about how if it weren’t for him, George could’ve died and lost all of his levels and items until he respawned. 

Dream let out an exhausted sigh at the unwanted thought, tilting his head to the side and squeezing his eyes tighter as if trying to tell his brain that it was time to rest now, and rest his thoughts as well. His brain finally complied, and it resulted in a moment’s peace before he inevitably drifted off to sleep, again. He remembered his final, fleeting thought was missing George. Missing his voice, wishing he was here, laying beside him right now. Wishing his warm embrace was tangled around Dream’s body, wishing that George was just  _ here. _ Wishing for his presence. He’d never wanted someone here with him so adamantly before. Especially not just a friend.

Maybe he’d see George in his dreams, too. He hoped so. Maybe he’d get to save the day again.

That was the thought that made Dream smile, before  _ finally _ managing to nod off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! forgot to plug it the first time, so here's my twitter for updates on the fic/other projects in the works! :]
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/mitikune_)


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